Reducing-valve



R. c. STOKES AND J. c. CONRAD.

REDUCING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1918.

1 349,443 v Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

\ 8 a l l 3141191 Hot REUBEN C. STOKES AND JOSHUA O. CONRAD, OF CEMENT,

OKLAHOMA.

REDUCING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed February 2, 1918. Serial No. 215,061..

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, REUBEN G. S roKns and JOSHUA C. CONRAD, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Cement, county of Caddo, and State ofOklahoma, have i11- vented certain new and useful Improvements inReducing-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our inventionrelates to valves and particularly to regulating valves.More specifically, our invention relates to valves for reducing fluidpressure and retaining the reduced pressure substantially constant.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved valve of the classmentioned which may be readily and quickly adjusted to maintain anydesired pressure on the low pressure side of the device. A furtherobject of our invention is to provide a valve of the class mentionedwherein, when the low pressure is reduced beyond a predetermined limit,the same will automatically and. completely shut oil the flow of gasfrom the high pressure side and maintain the closed position untilmanually op erated to open thesame. A further object of our inventionis'to provide means for locking the valve in closed position to preventthe same from being tampered with by unauthorized persons. A furtherobject of our invention is to provide a device as mentioned which may beadapted to many of the valve casings now in use with little or no changeto the latter. will appear hereinafter. 7

With these objects in view our invention consists generally in a valvecasing equipped with a diaphragm provided with a port, high and lowpressure valves adapted to close said port when moved in oppositedirections respectively, a cylinder in open communication with the lowpressure side of said casing a piston in said cylinder and connected tosaid valve, means for counterbalancing the low pressure and means forregulating the last said means. More spe cifically our inventioncomprises a device as above mentioned wherein the counter balancingmeans comprises a spring interposed between the piston and a cylinderhead and wherein the cylinder head is in threaded connection with thecylinder so as to vary the tension of the spring. Our invention furtherconsists in a device as mentioned further characterized by a latchadapted to engage the piston and hold the Other objects same indepressed position with the valve closed after the valve has been closedeither manually or automatically.

Our invention further consists in a device as mentioned furthercharacterized by means whereby the said latch may be locked to preventthe valve from being opened or set into operation by unauthorizedpersons. Our invention further consists in various details ofconstruction and arrangements of parts all as will'be fully describedheremafter and particularly pointed out in the claims. Our inventionwill be more readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification and in which j Figure 1is a vertical longitudinal section of a valve embodying our inventionand Fig. 2 is a detail View ofthe latch on substantially the line 22 ofFig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 indicates a valve casing provided. witha diaphragm 2 separating the same into high and low pressure sides 3 and4L respectively. Extending through the diaphragm 2 is a port 5, and saidport is surmountedby a pair of oppositely disposed conical valve seats 6and 7 respectively, which are preferably formed on an annular memberthreaded into the diaphragm 2 as indicated. 9 and 10 j are conicalvalves cooperating with the valve seats 6 and 7 respectively and spacedapart 0111a valve stem 11. The valves are threaded upon the stem 11which not only facilitates the assembling of the device but providesmeans whereby the distance between the said valves may be adjusted tosuit the conditions with'whicli the device is to be used.

Connected to the casing 1, and in communication with the low pressureside 4 thereofis a cylinder 12 providedwith a piston 13 to which thevalve stem 11 is connected. 14c is the cylinder head which is adjustablymounted thereon, preferably by being in threaded connection therewith asillustrated. The valve stem 11 is extended through the cylinder head fora purpose hereinafter described. Interposed between the cylinder head14: and the piston 12 is a spring 15, the tension of which is normallycounterbalanced by the low pressure in the portion 4 of the valvecasing. The cylinder 12 is preferably connected to the casing 1 by amember 16 which is preferably in threaded connection with both thecylinder and the casing, and by means of which the device may be adaptedto any of the valve casings now in use.

Fixed to the cylinder 12 is a latch comprising a spring pressed bolt 17and a housing 18 within which the spring 19 is arranged. The spring isinterposed between the end of the housing and a collar or shoulder 20 onthe bolt. The piston, near its upper end, is provided with an apertureadapted to be engaged by the end of the bolt 17, said aperturepreferably being'in the form of a peripheral groove 21. The outer endoi'the bolt is provided with an eye 22 by means of which the same maybemanually retracted, and the housing 18 is provided with a similar eye23, said eyes being adaptedto receive a-locking member 24 when the boltis in position to lock the piston.

With a construction as above described, it is obvious that with thepiston unlocked and fluid pressure maintained within the high pressureside 3 of the casing 1, the piston 13 will be balanced between the lowpressure within the portion 4: and the 'counter-balance spring 15. Ifthe pressure within the low pressure side increases, the piston will beforced upwardly closing the valve 10 and decreasing or shutting off thefluid received from the high pressure side. Decrease of pressure in thelow pressure side will permit the piston 13 to drop opening the valveuntil the pressure decreases below the point of safety when the valve 9will be closed to shut off all gas from the high pressure side. As thevalve 9 is closed the bolt 17 engages the aperture 21 in the pistonthereby preventing the valve from reopening when the pressure within thesystem again increases. This is essential when the device is used withgas burners, as when the pressure is reduced to such an extent as toextinguish the burners, the flow of gas is automatically cut oil so thatgas cannot be supplied to the unlit burners whose respective valves areopen. When the pressure in the system again reaches a normal oroperative degree, the device may be set into operation by merelyretracting the bolt 17 The device may be adjusted to secure the desiredpressure in the low pressure side by adjustment of the cylinder head letto vary the tension of the spring 15. By projecting the valve stem 11through the cylinder head the valves may be manually closed wheneverdesired, that is, should it be-desired to shut off the flow of gas, itis but necessary to depress the valve stem until the latch 17 engagesthe aperture 21.

lVe claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a valve casing having adiaphragm provided with a port, high and low pressure valves adapted tocontrol the "passageway through said port when moved in oppositedirections respectively, means for adjusting said valves relative toeach other, a cylinder in open communication with the low pressure sideof said casing, a piston in said cylinder and connected to said valves,a cylinder head, a spring interposed between said head and said pistonand means for ad justing said head to regulate said spring,substantially as described.

2. A deviceof the class described comprising a valve casing having adiaphragm provided with a port, high and low pressure valves adapted tocontrol the passageway through said port when moved in oppositedirections respectively, a cylinder in open communication with the lowpressure side of said casing, a piston in said cylinder and connected tosaid valves, and means for'adjusting said valves with relation to eachother and to the piston, means counterbalancing the low pressure onsaid'piston, and means for regulating the last said means, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we have signed our of two subscribing witnesses. p

REUBEN c. STOKES. JOSHUA o. CONRAD.

names to this specification in the presence-

